Entries in Risk Taking (52)
Liara Covert
Increasingly, people tell me they feel being torn between providing free services and choosing to charge for what they really love to do. This is a common experience of contemplation for people who lean toward something that differs from people they know.
Yet, no matter what your interests and passions, you might say how you incorporate them into your life relates back to subconscious issues of self-worth and self-confidence. Are you ready to admit ego exerts control? Willing to move beyond that?
You may hold down a regular job and then, turn to what you really desire to do outside work hours. What does that say about your faith in your abilities? Now, if you step back and view your choices from a distance, then you might infer you do another job because you feel what you really want to do will not generate enough income to pay your bills, am I correct? Maybe you're not being fair to yourself by assuming you will not succeed. You must define the risk you think you're avoiding before you can go about overcoming it.
I wonder if you have explored ways you could generate income by focusing on you greatest passions? You always have a wealth of avenues to explore. For example, on-line and paper publications exist on diverse subjects. Have you uever submitted article ideas? Have you ever particpated in forums with like-minded people who create their own careers? Maybe you simply wish to feel more comfortable with how you think?
Have you ever participated in workshops or considered organizing your own? Have you ever investigated associations or groups with shared interests? What about a coach to get more focused? If you aren't listening to your soul, you can initiate the journey which will "get you back on track." Being true to yourself isn't a risk unless you give into fear.
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So much interest is generated by my "biggest risk ever" series that I am adding a new chapter. Its a continuing saga. Sometimes its hard to believe that within 3 years, this adventure has already evolved though over 300,000 miles and 19 countries. This certainly sets the stage for quite a future, but not perhaps for reasons you will assume.
I have known rustic ships, ferries, paddle steamers, trains, planes, cars, trucks and memorable forms of animal transportation. Rick shaws, tuk tuks, elephants, kyaks and vehicles with no-names. Hang-gliding is even on the horizon. What's the point of it all?
For me, its not a question of accumulating miles or simply withstanding altitude changes. Its about learning that as much as we change, we may sense we know more, but ultimately, we remain the same. We actually begin to discover what we've always known, but have somehow managed to miss. Tapping into our hearts enables us to connect with others in new ways.
A sense of knowledge begins inside each of us. It can grow from or touch on others. It can also be shared. Realizing who we are dissolves any sense of risks. Interacting with people enables us to come to this realisation at soul-level. Unless your awareness changes, unless knowing stems from growth inside yourself, you are unlikely to alter your perceived quality of life.
Real knowing comes in growing to trust yourself. Faith is reinforced in what you learn about yourself. What if you conclude you can't hoard knowledge? Would it matter? Who are you helping along your journey? Having things doesn't enable you to grow, but certain kinds of behavior, like opening your heart, teach you benefits in overcoming fear.
I've learned that if you worry about losing something, you really don't have a grasp on what it is. A sense of inner poverty or emptiness doesn't change until your're ready. Each door you come across brings you face-to-face with new doors. Which ones will you open? The truth that seems the most comfortable option isn't something you can really express. Truth is never known in its entirety. You may feel it, sense a kind of growing inner completeness and have visions.
A forthcoming mysterious trip in April will likely surprise you as much as it does me. Could an unspecified life change really be involved? In the meantime, we'll keep each other in suspense! The best is 'in the now' and it is also yet to come...
You may perceive yourself as the kind of person who is overly-sensitive, too easily discouraged and quickly gives up on yourself before you give yourself a real chance. You may forget, but you didn’t always think this way. Something happened to shatter your self-confidence. Right now is the perfect time for a crash course in the benefits of risk-taking. Choose to remove the foggy glasses to perceive differently.
1) Discern your innate patterns. As an infant, when you were learning to walk, chances are, you didn’t perfect this skill right away. Infants instinctively exert effort to pick themselves up, after each fall. Since you likely walk upright these days, or at least have experience doing so, you weren’t completely discouraged after your first attempt at walking. You can reflect on other instances where you weren’t easily discouraged. Take when you learned to ride a bike, when you learned a sport or another physical skill. You can train your mind to tap into thought patterns that developed your sense of discipline, patience, focus and a growing appreciation for moment-to-moment experience.
2) Uncover causes of inhibited temperament. Differences in temperament influence different thought patterns in each of us. There is a period in the past when most people feel less inhibited than they feel now. Something happens to trigger that mental change. It has been suggested that preconscious activity in the brain triggers the onset of emotions and only though life experience can each of us become more aware of how they influence our behavior. Harmony and equilibrium can be reviewed throughout your lifetime. What you sense would enable you to achieve these states would evolve (or not) with you.
3) Rethink your perception. Six prominent issues tend to adversely affect people’s risk-taking; ignorance, attachment/ fear, anger, pride, misunderstanding and self-doubt. Each feeling or sensation can be broken down into different parts which help to explain why your mind permits it to form and intensify to control you. As you learn to work backwards, you can realize that each one is linked to something you believe exists when you actually fool yourself. Each one is a clever illusion constructed by your ego which has as its purpose to prevent you from proving who you really are and what you can do. How long will you continue to buy into this irony? You can be your own worst enemy yet, you can also evolve your mind to be your own best friend.
If you decide, in your mind, that your life will never be dull, you may be surprised at the kinds of risks you will be willing to take. Would you like to evolve so that you no longer feel hindered by self-doubt? Wonder how to muster the courage to do something you've never done before? Stop the waiting game.
A fantastic place to start is to ask yourself who told you something was wrong with you? Who persuaded you that you couldn't do things? Who told you your hopes aren't possible? Even if people exert effort to dissuade you, ultimately, you choose to believe you can do things or not. Yes, that's right! Its you. Learn to jump mental hurdles. You can do what you set your mind to do. The potential is always inside you.
One example in my life was an impulsive move to join a former boyfriend on a trip with his parents. At the time, I was studying in the south of France and had little money. Let’s say, I learned to do more with less. Low and behold, my attention was drawn to a ‘last minute flight deal.’ A close friend thought I was nuts! So much for my hard-earned pennies. I bought a non-refundable ticket and set out for a memorable adventure. I flew to north to Paris (France)-over to London (UK), across the Atlantic to Miami (USA) and caught a connector to the Caribbean.
As it happened, I missed a flight and was re-routed. Little did I know the computer system assumed that since I didn't board one of my scheduled planes, it automatically cancelled my whole return itinerary. Imagine my dismay when I was supposed to be on the same plane as my 'then boyfriend' and his parents back to Florida. Yet, I was told I couldn’t board. We didn’t have the chance to say good bye. My reaction? I got creative. Although all the other flights out that day from the island to Miami were supposedly over-sold, I talked my way onto the next connection. I sat with a stewardess in the rear. Did I relay a story of anticipation! She urged me on.
Once in Miami, I disembarked and ran between terminals. I passed a security check not meant for me in light of my tickets, and scurried past 5 gates to arrive at the gate of interest. This memory reminds me of a frantic scene in the film Broadcast News. I didn't slide under tables or filing cabinets, but I knew haste. You may too?
Much to my chagrin, my boyfriend's plane had already boarded and was preparing to depart. In sheer desperation, I calmly shared my story to the two attendants at the gate. Luckily, the guy and girl were 'sentimental types.' They opted to make an on-board PA announcement for my boyfriend to come off the plane. I have no clue what he or his parents thought when they heard it, except perhaps, “what the???” I sensed their conservative bewilderment grew into pure curiosity and then, absolute awe.
One of those sentimental attendants accompanied me down the tunnel to the plane door. When my boyfriend appeared and saw me, he looked at me in disbelief then, smiled. I hunched my shoulders and said, “I simply wanted to give you a proper goodbye.” What a memorable kiss and embrace! I had imagined the end of a romantic film script. I just decided to make it real.
As the attendant escorted me out of the tunnel, I was grateful for the emotional roller coaster. I think he felt he had done a good deed. It was before 9/11 when security measures were different. The plane shut its door and headed for the runway. I headed for the terminal I was supposed to be in and had a great chat with a former hockey-player turned airline employee. He kindly reworked my flight itineray so that I could get back to school.
After four flights, a long stopover and late connection, I ended up missing my train. Funny, I met up with a friendly foreign student in the same predicament. I intuited it would be safe to hitchhike with him, albeit after midnight. That memorable experience and ride lasted a few hours, but I'll have to leave that for another entry.
Admittedly, it takes courage to live life to the fullest. Adrenalin helps. I sense that certain kinds of risks will be worth it. I believe and then, they are. Young love may compel wild decision-making, even if a relationship isn't meant to last. No matter what the outcome, we can always choose to learn from risk-taking, Is yours worth it?
How you perceive risk changes. After you take a risk and like a result, you become increasingly fearless. You may take new risks that surpass previous limits. Your thoughts create a new frequency. Since increasing confidence enables you to feel good, as you choose to celebrate good feelings, you create conditions that keep you on track with your deepest desires. Everything you think brings you your future.
As it is, each decision I make about risk-taking in romance reinforces the law of attraction. The law doesn't care if you think certain conditions would be good for you or not, what you think about happens. This is a law of nature that brings you whatever you've been thinking about, in my case, that has been adventure, travel and love. What other people would or wouldn't do in your shoes is irrelevant.
In the posting, "The biggest risk ever," I explained how the Universe brought me an opportunity for a special romance. The Universe likes speed, and I respond to instinct. I realized my life was in my hands. I visualized feelings I desired. I knew what was happening to me wasn't wishful thinking. My mind was shaping my relationship at exactly the right time. I loved myself and was attracting love my way.
After my impulsive train trip through France, Switzerland and Italy, a memorable third date, anticipation continued to build. I returned to Canada and felt my thoughts were very powerful. People remarked I was different, that I seemed to glow. Inside, I wished to do what it took to sustain my incredible feelings. This invited a chain reaction that focused on a result and devalued the influence of risk.
I realized I could have fun with this. To become aware truly made me the master of my thoughts. The power of love enabled me to reframe taking risks as necessary to prove I could overcome fears. My mind voluntarily focused on high frequencies. By listening to what others told me was possible, I hadn't found what I sought before.
While attending the wedding of a family friend with 200 guests, why was it in the crowd that I was drawn to a conversation involving 2 people discussing Australian hospitality? Why was it that for the pre-arranged dinner, I was seated between a couple who married in Melbourne and had their son in Melbourne? A few days later, why did I turn on the radio and hear about Australian spider collecting? Why did I watch a tv program with 3 references to 'Down Under,' including a message written on a truck: "come to Australia?" Each day, what I chose to see reinforced my belief. I asked the Universe what I wanted and it offered me its answer. I simply listened.
Experience shows what we think about and focus on most becomes our life. After the train trip, I devoted part of each day to my relationship. Dialogue enabled us to sense we were on the same wavelength. For example, I asked him to answer 42 questions (part of a draft manuscript). He agreed. When I received his email, I emailed my answers. Why was it most of our responses were almost identical? When he wrote a questionnaire to add to my book, we both answered it and discovered similar answers. To feel grateful for each other reduced our sense of risk.
It came as no surprise to me that Rhonda Byrne is Australian. The release of her best-selling book The Secret outlined a process I have been living. We determine whether we'll accept society's view of risk. If you believe, the greater the love you feel, the greater the power you harness, and the more rewarding the manifestation.
Within 6 months of meeting my soul mate, events unfolded that led me to move over 18,000 km. We've been together two and a half years. Each day gets better. Looking back, we both admit how our choice to believe in what we wanted justified rethinking risk and not permitting fear to control us. We're the result of our dreams.